Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha Corporation

Andrew Acreman

Nathan James Smith

Takehiro Murao

Hywel Hopkin

Ryoh Kikuchi

Jiyun Yu

Kiyoshi Minoura

Akira Sakai

Koji Murata

David James Montgomery

Takayuki Yamada

Yuichi Kawahira

Emma Jayne Walton

André Filipe Marques Da Silva

A composite lens system may include one or more first optical elements configured to provide a first focal length selected from a first continuous range of focal lengths, as well as one or more second optical elements configured to provide a discrete focal length selected from a plurality of discrete focal lengths. The one or more first optical elements and the one or more second optical elements may be configured in series such that the composite lens system provides an output focal length based on a combination of the selected first focal length and the selected discrete focal length.

Composite lens system with changeable focal length

A reflective display apparatus is provided. The reflective display apparatus includes a textured sub-micron metal film textured in a periodic manner, a phase change material (PCM) layer, and a phase change control layer that is configured to change reflection properties of the textured sub-micron metal film by causing the PCM to switch between at least two of a plurality of phases.

Full color reflective display including a phase change material

A display device employs a patterned quantum rod layer having pixel elements driven by pixel splitting to generate a privacy viewing mode. The display device includes a patterned quantum rod layer having first pixel elements including first quantum rods wherein the first quantum rods are aligned in a first alignment direction, and second pixel elements including second quantum rods wherein the second quantum rods are aligned in a second alignment direction different from the first alignment direction. An electronic controller is configured to perform pixel splitting whereby the electronic controller drives the first pixel elements and the second pixel elements such that the patterned quantum rod layer has an off-axis luminance different from an on-axis luminance to generate a privacy viewing mode. The first alignment direction may be oriented 90&#xb0; relative to the second alignment direction.

Software privacy for QLED display

A liquid crystal (LC) lens structure may include first and second electrode substrates, and an LC layer disposed between the first and second electrode substrates, where each of the first and second electrode substrates include an associated LC alignment layer. The LC lens structure may also include a first lens region and a second lens region separated from the first lens region by an intermediate region. The LC lens structure may also include a first electrode layer having first electrodes segmented into two or more separately addressed electrodes for each of the first and second lens regions. In some examples, an electrical insulation layer may be disposed between the first electrode layer and a second electrode layer including a second electrode positioned within the intermediate region. In other examples, the LC layer may include a polymer wall extending from at least one LC alignment layer in the intermediate region.

Liquid crystal gradient-index lens structure with improved transition region

A liquid crystal (LC) device includes an optical stack arrangement including from the viewing side: a first electrode component; a first LC alignment layer; an LC layer; a second LC alignment layer; and a second electrode component. A voltage is applied to the LC device to create a potential difference between the first and second electrode components to switch an alignment of liquid crystals of selected portions of the LC layer from a first state when no voltage is applied to a second state when the voltage is applied. The first and second LC alignment layers are vertical alignment layers that induce a vertical alignment of the liquid crystals such that the first state when no voltage is applied is a vertical alignment state, and the liquid LC crystals switch to a planar alignment state as the second state when the voltage is applied. The first and/or second electrode components is a dual layer segmented electrode component comprising a first layer of electrode elements separated by inter-electrode gaps and a second layer of electrode elements separated by inter-electrode gaps, the first layer of electrode elements and the second layer of electrode elements being spaced apart in a viewing direction by an insulator layer.

Liquid crystal parallax barrier and method of addressing

A quantum rod display device has an enhanced alignment of the quantum rods that is achieved by employing an aligned block copolymer material to align the quantum rods. The display device may be a transflective display device. The display device includes a liquid crystal layer and a quantum rod structure optically coupled to the liquid crystal layer. The quantum rod structure includes an aligned block copolymer material including a first polymer strain and a second polymer strain that are aligned relative to each other, and quantum rods that are embedded within either the first polymer strain or the second polymer strain, and the quantum rods are aligned by the alignment of the polymer strain in which the quantum rods are embedded. The quantum rod structure may be unpatterned whereby the quantum rod structure emits light of a single color or a combined color emission, or patterned into regions whereby at least two of the regions include quantum rods that emit light of different colors. The quantum rods may include a functionalization ligand that renders the quantum rods preferentially soluble into the polymer strain in which the quantum rods are aligned.

Quantum rod transflective display with quantum rod block copolymer layer

A switchable view angle control device includes an electrically switchable zenithal bistable liquid crystal display view angle control liquid crystal device (ZBD view angle control LCD) that is operable in a first state and a second state; a front polarizer located on a viewing side of the switchable ZBD view angle control LCD; and a polarized light source located on a non-viewing side of the switchable ZBD view angle control LCD that emits light that is polarized in a first direction. When the switchable ZBD view angle control LCD in the first state, the view angle control device operates in a narrow angle view mode in which the polarization of the light from the polarized light source is changed by the switchable ZBD view angle control LCD to be polarized in a second direction that is at least partially absorbed by the front polarizer, and on-axis light passes through the switchable ZBD view angle control LCD and the front polarizer. When the switchable ZBD view angle control LCD is in the second state, the view angle control device operates in a wide angle view mode in which the polarization state of the light from the polarized light source is not changed by the switchable ZBD view angle control LCD and passes through the front polarizer.

Bistable switchable liquid crystal private device

A liquid crystal device (LCD) is configured for minimizing unwanted internal ambient light reflections. The LCD includes a plurality of layers, the layers comprising from a viewing side: a first linear polariser; an external retarder that is made of a cyclic olefin polymer (COP) material or a cyclic olefin copolymer (COC) material; a colour filter substrate; a colour filter layer; an internal reactive mesogen (RM) retarder alignment layer; an internal reactive mesogen (RM) retarder; a liquid crystal (LC) layer; and a second linear polarizer. The external retarder and the internal RM retarder are configured such that the optical properties (for example light polarization control function) of the external retarder and the internal retarder are matched to negate each other for light passing through the external retarder and the internal RM retarder. The LCD simultaneously maintains high image quality in both high and low ambient lighting conditions.

Low reflectivity LCD with COP retarder and COP matching RM

A switchable view angle control device for a privacy view display system includes an electrically switchable view angle control LCD that is operable in a first state and a second state; a front polarizer located on a viewing side of the switchable view angle control LCD; and a polarized light source located on a non-viewing side of the switchable view angle control LCD that emits polarized light. When the switchable view angle control LCD in the first state, the view angle control device operates in a narrow angle view mode in which off-axis polarized light from the polarized light source is changed by the switchable view angle control LCD so that the off-axis light is absorbed by the front polarizer, and on-axis light passes through the switchable view angle control LCD and the front polarizer. When the switchable view angle control LCD is in the second state, the view angle control device operates in a wide angle view mode in which the polarized light from the polarized light source is scattered by the switchable view angle control LCD and passes through the front polarizer.

Liquid crystal private device

A liquid crystal device (LCD) has improved brightness by the use of a patterned alignment structure. The LCD includes a liquid crystal (LC) layer; an electrode arrangement configured to apply an electric field to the LC layer, the electrode arrangement including a patterned electrode layer having a plurality of individual electrode elements and adjacent individual electrode elements are spaced apart from each other by an inter-electrode gap; and a patterned alignment structure that is deposited on the patterned electrode layer and is positioned to align LC molecules of the LC layer. The patterned alignment structure is configured such that a stronger anchoring energy is present at electrode edges of the individual electrode elements of the patterned electrode layer, as compared to a weaker anchoring energy present at electrode centers of the individual electrode elements and/or present at least at a portion of the inter-electrode gaps between adjacent individual electrode elements.

Liquid crystal display device with patterned alignment layer for improved brightness

A liquid crystal device (LCD) includes from the viewing side: a first electrode layer; a viewing side first liquid crystal (LC) alignment layer; an LC layer; a non-viewing side second LC alignment layer; and a second electrode layer; wherein one of the electrode layers is a common electrode layer and the other of the electrode layers is a segmented electrode layer, and at least one of the first and second LC alignment layers is a bistable alignment layer that is switchable between a first alignment state and a second alignment state. The LCD is operated by applying a first voltage pulse to the segmented electrode layer and applying a second voltage pulse to the common electrode layer (Vcom pulse), the first and second voltage pulses combining to form a resultant voltage pulse. The bistable alignment layer switches from the first alignment state to the second alignment state when a magnitude of the resultant voltage pulse exceeds a switching voltage threshold.

ZBD liquid crystal device and methods of operating such device

A display device includes an optical stack arrangement including from the viewing side: a front polarizer; a first electrode layer; a viewing side bistable liquid crystal (LC) alignment layer; an LC layer; a non-viewing side bistable LC alignment layer; a second electrode layer; and a rear polarizer. The bistable LC alignment layers induce alignment of LC molecules of the LC layer adjacent to respective surfaces of the bistable LC alignment layers. The non-viewing side bistable LC alignment layer is switchable between two stable LC alignment states and the viewing side bistable LC alignment layer is also switchable between two stable LC alignment states. A combination of structural parameters of the viewing side and non-viewing side bistable LC alignment layers and the front and rear polarizers renders the display device operable to achieve four stable distinct optical states, each stable distinct optical state having a different optical response when viewed from the viewing side of the display device.

LCD with four stable and optically distinct states

A display component controls a viewing angle in a display system that achieves a strong private mode and enhanced brightness in the private and public modes as compared to conventional configurations. A display system that is operable in the private mode and the public mode includes the display component in combination with an image panel. The display component includes a backlight unit that emits light from a non-viewing side of the display component toward a viewing side of the display component; a barrier and slit structure located on a viewing side of the backlight unit, the barrier and slit structure comprising a plurality of opaque barrier regions interspersed with a plurality of transparent slit regions; and a lens array of lens elements located on a viewing side of the barrier and slit structure, with the lens elements being located in a separate plane relative to the barrier regions, wherein the barrier and slit structure and the lens array operate to transmit light from the backlight unit collimated in a limited viewing angle range.

Enhanced privacy switchable backlight system

A reconfigurable parallax barrier panel, for use in a display system with a 3D mode, includes a first substrate, a second substrate, and an electro-optic material positioned between the first and second substrates. The first and second substrates each respectively has a plurality of first and second electrodes, the electrodes being independently addressable from one another and comprising a plurality of electrode portions extending along a first direction and laterally spaced from one another along a second direction different from the first direction. The electrode portions of the first electrodes are arranged in a cyclic arrangement having a first pitch, and the electrode portions of the second electrodes are arranged in a cyclic arrangement having a second pitch that is different to the first pitch. The first and second electrodes are driven to generate different reconfigurable parallax barrier arrays corresponding to different viewing distances in a 3D mode of operation.

Growing community of inventors

Oxford, United Kingdom

Andrew Acreman